


Growing

by Maiika



Series: Old West AU [5]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, But mostly fluff, F/M, Gardens & Gardening, Pregnancy, new life, suggestive moment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-07 02:22:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14070771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maiika/pseuds/Maiika
Summary: Goku never thought he'd have this life with Chi-Chi.  But he does.  And it's growing, right alongside a little project Chi-Chi cooked up, which proves more meaningful than Goku first imagined.





	Growing

He was truly Goku now, not Kakarot. He had to forget that name. Kakarot was outside West City, where he would remain, trapped in the past. That Saiyan outlaw would never marry. He  _certainly_  would never have a child on the way.

Even as Goku Son, he could hardly comprehend the seemingly impossible news. Now that Chi-Chi mentioned it, Goku recognized the subtle signs that the new life inside of her was taking its toll on Chi-Chi's body. Even though she grimaced constantly and wore dark circles beneath her eyes, she somehow looked more beautiful than ever. Her skin was dewy, flushed, and vibrant. Her beautiful black hair was more lush and shiny than Goku had ever seen it. Chi-Chi's tired eyes met Goku's with a brilliant, patient smile as she allowed her news to sink in.

A child.  _His_  child.

Goku completely missed the other announcement that she slipped in right after it. All he knew was, he was going to be a father, still feeling like a kid himself. And Chi-Chi told him to get seeds from the general store.

* * *

 

Goku frowned as he watched his wife out in the heat, laboring over a tiny green bud emerging from a dry patch of soil. It couldn't be good for the unborn baby  _or_  its hormonal mother to be out here for this long.

Anticipating his volatile wife's response, Goku shifted his stance and maintained a safe distance as he asked, "Why do you need to do this again?"

"For the baby. We need to start thinkin' like a family now."

Goku raised his brows. He'd never known what it meant to 'think like a family', unless abandoning one another when things turned bad was a good example, which Goku highly doubted. But out here, with his expecting wife, was no time to start recalling his rough childhood. He needed a change of subject.

"Aren't ya hot? Want me to get you some water?"

Chi-Chi's hands clapped her dirty knees as she twisted to face him with a brilliant smile. "Water would be great! Thank you, Goku. These crops could really use it."

Goku balked. "Crops?"

"Of course, silly," Chi-Chi said with a giggle.

She rubbed her flat belly, something she did often now as if she already could caress the baby inside. Goku frowned. He didn't know what gave her the idea to do that. He couldn't feel a  _thing_  from the baby yet. Every time he told Chi-Chi as much, she'd admit that she couldn't really feel the baby either, but they would feel it move soon enough, she said. Just like those useless sprouts emerging from the soil would one day produce edible crops for them to consume. Goku didn't know what the big deal was. They already had plenty of food available through the saloons and ranchers selling their goods in town. That had always been enough for the two of them.

"Now you get that water," Chi-Chi said with a breathy sigh. "These plants have a  _long_  way to grow before they'll yield anything, but with a little patience and care, our efforts will pay off."

* * *

 

Goku shielded his eyes from the bright sun, but that didn't stop its rays from penetrating his skin. He knew Dr. Brief told Chi-Chi she needed to stay out of the sun. Goku would take over if it meant Chi-Chi going indoors, except he didn't know what had to be done out here. He'd never farmed before. And somehow, Chi-Chi seemed to know all about this. Just as much as she knew about babies, actually. And she was very particular about how she wanted this garden handled. If Goku tried to drag her away, she'd probably rip his head off. He wasn't willing to put her second trimester mood swings to the test by confronting her.

"So Chi-Chi," Goku said, rocking on his heels as dirt swirled in the wind around Chi-Chi's fruitless plants. "Don't you want to get yourself pretty before the Brief family comes over for dinner?"

It worked. Chi-Chi stopped gardening. But when she turned on him with a vicious glare, Goku wished he could take back whatever he'd said wrong.

He whimpered. "Uh...sorry?"

"For what, Goku?" Chi-Chi snapped. "For pointing out the obvious? Reminding me how my waist is widening? Reminding me how my incredibly handsome husband doesn't think I'm as pretty as I used to be for him? For-"

"Chi-Chi!" Goku said with a desperate wave of his hands. "I  _do_  think you're pretty! I just thought you'd want time to wash up. Maybe," he added quietly with a shrug, "take a break from the garden?"

"A _break_?"

Goku held his breath, careful not to move as long as Chi-Chi's eyes were on him. Her expression was unreadable, likely to change at any given moment. The slightest wrong move or sound could set her off on another tirade.

"It is afternoon already, isn't it?" Chi-Chi said, relieving Goku as her features relaxed into a smile. "I suppose it's a good idea to fix my hair and change into an appropriate dress." She stood to her feet and brushed herself off. "I don't want to look unapproachable at the table when we know the Brief ladies will be dressed so fancy."

Taking in the soft flush of Chi-Chi's dirt-spattered cheeks and the black strands of hair matted against her pale skin, Goku quirked a smile. "You don't need to dress fancy, Chi-Chi. If it was up to me, you could go to dinner just like that."

Chi-Chi's cheeks and the bridge of her sun-kissed nose flushed pink as her smile spread from ear to ear. "Oh, Goku. You're the best husband."

As Chi-Chi placed her hand on Goku's chest and leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on his cheek, Goku rubbed the back of his hat. He supposed it  _would_  be nice to be told you don't have to dress up. However, he seriously doubted  _that_  had made Chi-Chi happy. He knew not to test his luck at seeing whether Chi-Chi would offer  _him_  the same option for dinner. He didn't understand what that kiss was for, but if Chi-Chi thought he was a great husband, he had to be doing something right. Maybe he needed to trust his instincts more with this family stuff.

* * *

 

He was in awe, watching Chi-Chi on her knees, working around her rounded belly to pull weeds. His wife had been a ball of energy lately. She didn't seem to know when to quit. But it had to be hard carrying around a whole extra person inside you. The baby was almost the size of its birthweight now, the doctor said. With a burden like that, Chi-Chi needed her rest.

As a cool January breeze swept over them, Goku rubbed the top of his hat. "Do you really need to do that right now?"

An exasperated sigh. Chi-Chi's black head of hair dropped below her shoulders. "I do, Goku. Because as this baby grows, she's gonna need some healthy nourishment.  _I_  need to help our garden flourish. You know I don't trust those crops from outside farms to feed my baby."

She said it as if she'd already explained it a hundred times. Because by now, she probably had. Not only to Goku, but to everyone in West City wondering what a pregnant young woman (who needed to save her laboring for a much greater feat) was doing working her hands to the bone, growing a garden in these impossibly dry, cold desert lands. Every time she answered the question now, she worded it just like that.

"She," Goku repeated, pursing his lips.

"Don't start with me, Goku," Chi-Chi said as her hands busied again, her slender back shaking with her movements. "I'm gardening for our family. Maybe  _you_  should pitch in."

If not for her labored breathing and her occasional pause to wipe her brow, Goku would almost think Chi-Chi wasn't pregnant from this angle. She'd kept her form well; even beneath the cover of that oversized dress she wore, it was clear that once this baby was born, she'd bounce right back to her dainty curves - with a baby  _boy_  on her hip. But Goku wasn't going to voice that thought now. Chi-Chi made it pretty clear she wasn't hearing anything different from her baby being a girl. She'd also made it clear that this garden was about to become Goku's responsibility, which Goku supposed he could give into if it meant Chi-Chi would get the rest she needed.

* * *

 

Tending a garden wasn't so hard once Goku realized he had a knack for making the plants grow. Crops were starting to bud from the tiny sprouts which had flourished into bunches of long stems and lush leaves. At this rate, there would be food to feed the Son family even before the baby was weaned off Chi-Chi's milk. It was kind of rewarding, looking at this garden, realizing what he and Chi-Chi could create together.

Goku looked up from the shine of the sprouting green tomato bud he'd been admiring. He thought he heard a shout. Then again, his mind could be deceiving him. It was doing that a lot lately, what with Chi-Chi being confined to bed, the baby due to arrive any day now. Out here in the garden, the first sign of Chi-Chi's labor would be someone shouting for Goku to come home. He blinked as he waited for another sound, but as a gentle breeze rushed past his ears and a tumbleweed rolled through his small patch of garden, Goku realized it  _had_  been his imagination. He picked up his trowel and started digging.

"Better grow these plants faster," Goku said, lifting his gaze to view the full expanse of his square patch of plants. "Hear that? If my son's goin' to have an appetite anything like mine, you crops are gonna have to grow a lot more to feed  _us_."

* * *

 

He wasn't sure how the garden was doing. Chi-Chi wouldn't like knowing how long Goku had left it unattended. But honestly, he couldn't bring himself to worry about it. Over the past few days, he'd been immersed in a different production. One with ten fingers, ten toes and two sleepy eyes, more stunning than any vegetable the garden outside could ever produce.

He looked up from the baby in his arms and met Chi-Chi's tired gaze. "I think he's hungry, Chi-Chi."

Chi-Chi giggled as she pried Gohan from Goku's arms. "You  _always_  think he's hungry. I told you he can only drink breast milk now. It'll be a long time before we can feed him from the garden."

"Yeah," Goku admitted with a pout. "But I really think he's hungry."

"Well in this case," Chi-Chi said with a considerate tilt of her head. "You're right. See how he's bringing his fingers to his mouth?"

Goku hummed and nodded, his eyes shifting from the curled little fist to the shiny pink tongue darting in and out of Gohan's pursed lips.

"He does that when he's hungry," Chi-Chi said as she shifted Gohan to one arm.

While she peeled her shoulder free of the clothing hindering her breast, Goku reached for the purple fabric to help her reveal her pale creamy skin. Though his clumsy fingers didn't seem nearly as effective as Chi-Chi's one adept hand, the appreciative smile she gave him was worth the effort.

Goku felt his smile spread across his face watching Gohan eagerly latch onto his mother's breast, both mother and son looking satisfied and relaxed. As Goku watched Gohan settle into a sucking rhythm, Goku felt something coil and bounce in the pit of his stomach. This was  _his family_ _,_ growing.

Chi-Chi hummed lethargically as her eyes slid shut. "Goku, have you watered the garden?"

Goku chuckled as he stroked the soft black hair matted on top of her head. "The garden's fine."

"Goku."

"I'll go get the watering pail."

* * *

 

The pail was full of vivid colors. Red tomatoes, green peppers, yellow corn husks and green lettuce jostled and bounced inside with every one of Goku's hasty steps toward home. He couldn't wait to show Chi-Chi.

He swept through the door, not even bothering to close it behind him as he marched toward the rocking chair where he knew he'd find his family. Chi-Chi was there with little Gohan in her lap, humming a soft tune to lull him to sleep. Goku smiled when he saw the scene, exactly as he pictured. He thrust the pail forward, beaming when Chi-Chi looked up at him. No words of explanation were needed.

Chi-Chi's eyes lit as she gasped. "They grew?"

"Yep," Goku said with a nod, reaching into the pail for a juicy tomato. He held the shiny red fruit for his son to see. "See that, Gohan? Your daddy grew that." Chi-Chi grunted. "And your mommy grew the rest of 'em."

Chi-Chi laughed and curled a finger around Gohan's lip to unlatch him from her breast. "We grew all of them  _together_ , Goku."

Goku licked his lips. "This tomato sure looks juicy."

" _Gohan_ might not be ready for it, but you should have a bite."

"Why can't Gohan have a taste?"

Chi-Chi frowned as she lifted Gohan to rest his head on her shoulder. "First of all, he's ready for his nap. Second of all, there's too much acidity in tomatoes. Babies' stomachs are fragile, Goku. He's not ready for  _tomatoes_!"

Goku felt his shoulders sag. He'd been looking forward to sharing this with his son.

"You can give  _me_  a taste," Chi-Chi said softly.

Goku turned his eyes up from the ground to see a sultry look in Chi-Chi's eyes. He hadn't seen that look from her in a while, not since Gohan was born. But then, his providing for this family always  _did_  seem to excite her. With more eagerness than intended, Goku pressed the fruit to Chi-Chi's lips.

Chi-Chi's eyes widened before she met Goku's gaze and pulled her lips back to sink her teeth into the robust fruit. Goku was quick to slip his hand beneath the red juices leaking from her lips and save his sleeping baby from the uncomfortable moisture dripping over him. Goku really didn't want to wake Gohan now. With Chi-Chi's lips soaked in the juice of the tomato and that look in her dark eyes, she'd never looked so amazing.

Goku brought the tomato to his lips. He sucked the leaking juices from the bottom of the fruit before sinking his teeth into a hearty piece of it, never taking his eyes off Chi-Chi as he hummed his satisfaction. It tasted juicy, sour and sweet at the same time, incredibly fresh. As Chi-Chi slid from the rocking chair with the crafty maneuver she'd mastered for not waking the baby, Goku was quick to discard his bucket of crops on the ground and race to the window so he could draw the shades. He knew once their coveted creation was nestled safely in his crib and the fruits of their gardening labors were wiped from their sticky fingertips, Chi-Chi was all his.

He was always up for more production.


End file.
